Dec 13 2 U.S. service members, 1 civilian killed in ambush in Syria, Central Command says By Samar Kassabali, Bassem Mroue, Associated Press Two U.S. service members and one American civilian were killed and three other people wounded in an ambush on Saturday by a lone member of the Islamic State group in central Syria, the U.S. military’s Central Command said. Continue reading
Dec 12 Seizure of rogue oil tanker off Venezuela signals new U.S. crackdown on shadow fleet By Joshua Goodman, Michael Biesecker, Associated Press The recent seizure of an oil tanker known as Skipper by the U.S. off the coast of Venezuela marks a dramatic escalation of President Donald Trump’s campaign to choke off Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s access to oil revenues. Continue reading
Dec 12 Leadership of U.S. command in Latin America changes hands amid scrutiny over boat strikes By Joshua Goodman, Associated Press A U.S. Navy admiral who oversees military operations in Latin America handed off command responsibilities Friday as scrutiny increases over the Trump administration's deadly strikes on alleged drug boats in the region. Continue reading
Dec 10 House passes annual defense bill to raise troop pay and overhaul weapons purchases By Stephen Groves, Ben Finley, Associated Press The bill's passage on a 312-112 vote comes at a time of increasing friction between the Republican-controlled Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration over the management of the military. Continue reading
Nov 30 Lawmakers voice bipartisan support for congressional reviews of Trump's boat strikes By Kevin Freking, Associated Press Lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for… Continue reading
Nov 16 U.S. aircraft carrier arrives in the Caribbean in major buildup near Venezuela By Ben Finley, Associated Press The nation's most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday in a display of U.S. military power, raising questions about what the new influx of troops and weaponry could signal for the Trump administration's drug enforcement campaign in South America. Continue reading
Nov 13 Watch 8:18 Military personnel seek legal advice on whether Trump-ordered missions are lawful By Amna Nawaz, Dan Sagalyn, Winston Wilde, Liz Landers Military service personnel have been seeking outside legal advice about some of the missions the Trump administration has assigned them. The strikes against alleged drug traffickers and deployments to U.S. cities have sparked a debate over their legality. Amna Nawaz… Continue watching
Nov 07 Trump has accused boat strike targets of being narco-terrorists. The truth is more nuanced, AP investigation finds By Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press In dozens of interviews in villages on Venezuela’s breathtaking northeastern coast, from which some of the boats departed, residents and relatives said the dead men had indeed been running drugs but were not narco-terrorists or leaders of a cartel or gang. Continue reading
Nov 01 New Pentagon policy undercuts transgender troops' ability to fight military ban, AP reports By Konstantin Toropin, Associated Press The Pentagon has rolled out a new policy that will severely undercut the ability for transgender troops who have been banned from the armed forces by the Trump administration to turn to boards of their peers to argue for their right to… Continue reading
Oct 31 Hegseth vows in talks with China that U.S. will 'stoutly defend' Indo-Pacific interests By Eileen Ng, Associated Press The U.S. Secretary of Defense said Friday he told his Chinese counterpart during talks in Malaysia that Washington would “stoutly defend” its interests in the Indo-Pacific. He also signed a new agreement aimed at strengthening security ties with India. Continue reading